Panel construction

ABSTRACT

A panel system is disclosed including panels to provide decorative or acoustic functions or both. The panels comprise essentially hollow elements having two oppositely disposed facing sheets and an internal connecting member joining the two facing sheets. The panels may be secured edge to edge along their longitudinal edges to provide a plurality of adjacent panels. The facing sheets may be perforated and the interior provided with suitable sound absorbing material. The panels may be supported from the ceiling, wall or other fixed structure in a grid-like pattern.

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,906,697 Rijnders Sept. 23, 1975 [5PANEL CONSTRUCTION 2.585082 2/1952 Bollinger 52/619 x 2.638187 5/1953Tate .4 52/619 [75] lnvemor- W'llem Alblasserdam 3.757.485 9/1973Vincens 52/731 Netherlands [73] Assignee: Hunter Douglas InternationalN.V., Primary E.\'aminerPrice C. Faw, Jr.

Curacao, Netherlands Attorney, Agent, or FirmPennie & Edmonds [22]Filed: May 25, 1973 21 Appl. No.2 363,967 [57] ABSTRACT A panel systemis disclosed including panels to pro- [301 Foreign Application PriorityData vide decoratiye or acoustic functions or both. The panels compriseessent1ally hollow elements havlng May 29, l972 Netherlands 7207264 twooppositely disposed facing SheetS and an internal connecting memberjoining the two facing sheets. The [22] 52/629,:2/624 panels may beSecured edge to edge along their longi i 2 C 2/40 tudinal edges toprovide a plurality of adjacent panels. 1 le 0 can 624 The facing sheetsmay be perforated and the interior provided with suitable soundabsorbing material, The [56] References cued panels may be supportedfrom the ceiling. wall or UNITED STATES PATENTS other fixed structure ina grid-like pattern. 1,930,345 10/1933 Lewis 52/619 2,204,818 6/1940Obermayr 52/619 x 2 Clam, Drawmg Figures yes US Patent Sept. 23,1975Sheet 1 of 5 3,906,697

FIG. 3

US Patfint Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 2 of5 3,906,697

FIG. 5

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 3 of5 3,906,697

FIG. 6

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 4 of5 FIG. 8 FIG. 9 FIG. IO Q35 4//:-. 5

W g W 6/" FIG.

FIG. I?)

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 5 of5 3,906,697

FIG '4 PANEL CONSTRUCTION One object of the invention is to providedecorative or acoustic ceiling panels which may be supported from aceiling, overhead beams or a wall.

Another object of the invention isto provide ceiling panels which arehollow and which may be assembled with a minimum of tools.

Another object of the invention is to provide ceiling panels which maybe readily interconnected one to the Z other to provide a plurality ofpanels for decorative or acoustic purposes in which the connectingmember is essentially hidden.

along their adjacent longitudinal edges;

FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 6 partially in crosssection;

' FIGS. 8, 9 and show various modifications of the connecting member;

FIG. ll is aside view of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 shows a side view of a wire spring member for interlocking twoadjacent panels;

FIG. 13 is a viewfrom the left of the member of FIG.

12; FIG. 14 shows a side view of a means for joining a plurality ofpanels perpendicular to each other at their point of intersection; and

FIG. 15 is a top view of the structure of FIG. 14.

Referring first of all to FIGS. 4 and 5, generally indicated by thenumeral 1 the hollow panels of this invention comprise two identicalfacing sheets 2 and an intermediate connecting member 4 for holding thefacing sheets 2 in a relatively fixed spaced apart position.

The opposite edges of the facing sheets 2 have flanges 3 terminating ininturned lips 3' which resiliently grip the ends 10 and 10 of the arms 5and 5 respectively on the opposite ends of the connecting member 4. Thecentral web portion of the connecting member 4 has an opening 6, whichis described more fully hereinafter.

In the preferred embodiment, the immediate member 4 is an extrudedmaterial of metal, plastic or the like with extruded aluminum beingpresently preferred. It will be appreciated, however, thatother'materials such as wood, plastic and other synthetics may beutilized. The facing sheets 2 may be extruded or rolled sheet material'of many varieties including metal and is preferably of a resilient orspring-like nature such that the inturned lips 3 may be sprung apart topass over the points 10 and 10 of the intermediate member 4.

The facing sheets 2 are, accordingly, sprung into place and held thereby the inherent resiliency of the material.

In the preferred embodiment, the edges of the opposing flanges 3 of thetwo facing sheets 2 of the panel are spaced apart leaving a longitudinalslot 7 along each of the longitudinal edges of the panel.

Alongthe lowerexposed longitudinal edge of the panel 1 is provided acover 'strip' or cap 8 held in place by the spring clip 9 having lateralprojections 9"to support the inwardly directed flanges 8' of the strip8.

Spaced, upwardly directed legs 9" are sprung into place in the slot 7 tohold the strip 8 in place.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, two panels I, may be secured edge-to-edgealong their longitudinal edges by means of spring clip 11. Spring clip11 is generally'U- shaped and has two substantially parallel legs 12'each of which includes a gripping portion 13, which engages the member 4on the side opposite to the bight 12' of the U-shaped member 11. Thelegs 12 with their gripping portions 13 pass through the openings 6 inconnecting members 4 of two adjacent panels 1.

It will be appreciated that while only one connecting member 4 is shownin FIGS. 4 7, there are at least two of such interconnecting members oneadjacent each end of the panel 1. Intermediate connecting members 4 maybe utilized as desired or required to'lend additional rigidity to thepanel.

With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a grid-like arrangement forsupporting the panels from an overhead ceiling structure includingbeams, overhead fixed floor-ceiling combinations'and the like. Thepanels are supported from such overhead structure by means of members 14in a manner described in more detail hereinafter. As shown in FIG. 1,the panel 1' extending from left to right in the figure is abutted bythe ends of a plurality of panels I.

FIG. 2 shows a grid system of panels like that in'FlG. I excepting onlythat there are two sets of panels I joined together along theirlongitudinal edges asshown in FIGS. 6 & 7 and two sets of panels 1arranged vertically with respect to each other in the same manner. Itwill be appreciated that while only two such vertically aligned seriesof panels is shown in FIG. 2 there may be three or more such panelsarranged in edge-to-edge relationship along their longitudinal edges.

FIG. 3 shows an arrangement in which there is a combination of singlepanels and a series of double panels thus combining FIGS. I and 2.

The panels I are suspended from the ceiling by means of a rod 14 (SeeFIGS. 14 & 15). threaded into a hub 18 extending upwardly from across-shaped member 15. The member 15 is secured at the intersection ofpanels 1 by means of screws 17 passing through slots 17' in the ends ofthe arms of the member 15 and through the slots 7 in the panels I. Aclamping member 16 is positioned within the hollow panels 1 to engagethe underside of flanges 3 of the facing sheets 2. The screws 17threadly engage and draw the clamping member 16 tight against flanges 3.It will be appreciated that while the panels are secured by means ofthreaded rods 14 other means may be used including. wire, cable and thelike designed to engage the member 15 or to pass through the hub 18 intothe interior of the panels 1 to be fixed appropriately there.

With respect to slot 7, this slot may be so designed, if desired, as tobe closed when the panel is assembled. However, in such circumstancesother means must be provided to hold the cover strip 8 such as spacedopenings and for accepting the screws 17.

FIGS. 8 and 11 show the intermediate connecting member 4 also shown inuse in FIGS. 4 7. It will be appreciated that the opening 6 is locatedadjacent one end of the intermediate member 4, and as such, care must betaken during assembly of two adjacent panels in order to be certain thatthe openings 6 of the members 4 of the two adjacent panels are towardeach other as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. To overcome this requirement twoopenings 6 are provided in the intermediate connecting member 4' shownin FIG. 9. ln this manner by use of the intermediate connecting member4', either edge of a completed panel will mate with either edge of anadjacent panel 1, there being an opening 6' on both ends of theintermediate member 4. Similarly, in H6. 10 a single long slot 6" isprovided in the intermediate member 4 thus accomplishing the samepurpose as the dual openings 6' in the member 4.

As shown in FIG. 8, the upper and lower arms 5 and 5 are somewhatdifferently shaped, either shape being satisfactory. Alternately, theupper and lower arms may be shaped the same as in FIG. 9 or may have astill different shape as shown at 5" at the bottom in FIG. 10.

It will be appreciated that assembly of the panels can be accomplishedwithout any particular use of tools.

The facing sheet 2 for one side may be placed on the floor or bench withits flanges 3 upstanding. The connecting member 4 may then be snappedinto place with the end portions 10 and 10 engaging between the lips 3of the upstanding flanges 3. The other facing member 2 may then besnapped in place thereover with its flanges 3 extending downwardlytoward the companion flanges 3 of the first facing sheet 2. Thus, bothfacing sheets 2 are sprung into place due to the springlike or resilientnature of the material selected for their manufacture. It will beappreciated that the length of the member 4 including its terminalportion 10 and 10 is dimensioned to achieve proper frictional engagementwith the spring-like flanges 3 of the facing sheets 2.

If desired. panels 1 may be joined in abutting end-toend relationship bymeans of a connecting member 4 of suitable width inserted partly in oneof such two adjacent panels and partly in the other.

I claim:

1. An elongated panel comprising two elongated facing sheets, at leastone connecting member for holding said sheets in substantially parallelplanes on opposite sides of said connecting member, a pair of opposedflanges along opposite edges of each of said sheets, the opposed flangesof each of said sheets being springable apart to receive said connectingmember therebetween and to retain said sheets in place on opposite sidesthereof, the flanges of each of said sheets being spaced from theflanges of the other of said sheets to define a slot along two oppositeedges of said panel, each of the opposite ends of said connecting memberhaving an opening therein and said flanges having inturned lips engagingsaid connecting member at said openings, said connecting member being asubstantially rigid single unitary piece including:

a. a central web portion,

b. integral opposite end portions extending from said web portion,

c. each of said end portions having a pair of arms extending integrallyfrom said web portion, each of said arms having a terminus opposed toand spaced from the terminus of the other arm of the same pair to definesaid openings,

said inturned lips engaging said termini of said arms, said central webportion having an opening therethrough, said opening in said web havinga margin thereof adjacent to at least one of said end portions. saidopening in said web having an entry and an exit, and said exit beingspaced from said entry in a direction parallel to the length of saidelongated panel.

2. The panel of claim 1 in which said opening comprises part of meansforjoining vertically adjacent panels.

1. An elongated panel comprising two elongated facing sheets, at leastone connecting member for holding said sheets in substantially parallelplanes on opposite sides of said connecting member, a pair of opposedflanges along opposite edges of each of said sheets, the opposed flangesof each of said sheets being springable apart to receive said connectingmember therebetween and to retain said sheets in place on opposite sidesthereof, the flanges of each of said sheets being spaced from theflanges of the other of said sheets to define a slot along two oppositeedges of said panel, each of the opposite ends of said connecting memberhaving an opening therein and said flanges having inturned lips engagingsaid connecting member at said openings, said connecting member being asubstantially rigid single unitary piece including: a. a central webportion, b. integral opposite end portions extending from said webportion, c. each of said end portions having a pair of arms extendingintegrally from said web portion, each of said arms having a terminusopposed to and spaced from the terminus of the other arm of the samepair to define said openings, said inturned lips engaging said terminiof said arms, said central web portion having an opening therethrough,said opening in said web having a margin thereof adjacent to at leastone of said end portions, said opening in said web having an entry andan exit, and said exit being spaced from said entry in a directionparallel to the length of said elongated panel.
 2. The panel of claim 1in which said opening comprises part of means for joining verticallyadjacent panels.